Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

This short case discusses the process of Life Technologies' acquisition by Thermo Fisher in 2013 and 2014. The case is a complement to SM-209A and SM-209B, which highlight the various growth and acquisition strategies the company undertook over the previous 10 years.

learning objective:

The goal of the case is to complete the story of Invitrogen/Life Technologies as the company was ultimately acquired itself by another firm.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

Mariam Naficy (Minted CEO) and Melissa Kim (Minted COO) have grown the company to become a leader in the online printed cards, independent design and art market segments. As the business has continued to scale they wrestle with simultaneously growing their existing business while also looking at expanding into new markets, all the while keeping their existing customer base engaged. The case highlights the difficult decisions management faces in deciding where to pursue growth opportunities when choices might be overly abundant.

learning objective:

The case provides students the opportunity of analyzing a firm that is exploring multiple new opportunities, while at the same time working to grow an existing business that is performing well but is striving to get to a large scale.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

This industry note provides an extensive overview of the wireless communications industry in China at the end of 2012. At the time China had over 1.1 billion mobile subscribers, and the country was predicted to have 500 million smartphones in use by the end of 2013. The note discusses the industry's value chain (carriers, device manufactures, component providers, content and applications providers, and telecom equipment providers), and the role of the Chinese government in the industry's evolution. The note also presents the strategic positioning and business models of China's three main carriers (China Mobile, China Unicorn, and China Telecom), and of the major international and domestic handset manufacturers, including Samsung, ZTE, Nokia, Apple, Lenovo and Huawei. In addition, the note covers the strategic positioning of the main chipset suppliers in the Chinese wireless market: Qualcomm, MediaTek, Samsung and Intel.

learning objective:

The major objectives of the case are to help students identify and understand: (1) The strategic forces that were driving the Chinese wireless industry forward in 2012 and beyond. (2) The general characteristics of the Chinese wireless industry. (3) How these strategic forces and specific market dynamics were and are shaping the prospects of the local and international participants in the Chinese wireless industry.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

It was 2005 and David Steiner, CEO of Waste Management (WM), had just received a report from an internal advisory panel created some months before to assess the future of the waste management industry and propose how the company's strategy should be adapted. The core of this report was the recommendation to create a special unit within the company, chartered with the central purpose of identifying ways to extract value from waste through new and innovative waste technologies.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

In 2013 Basware, the Finland-based e-invoice operator and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software vendor, was going through a large and critical transition: moving from selling and installing licensed software to selling Software as a Service (SaaS). Basware, which sold automated Purchase-to-Pay solutions for Business-to-Business to 2,000 Nordic and global clients, was responding to a sharp decline in those sales in the previous few years; more and more customers were switching to competitors that offered SaaS.

(With SaaS, vendors stored a client's data in an external server or in the cloud, and maintained the software and relevant hardware.) Transitioning to SaaS required the €114 million company simultaneously to transform its strategy, business model, technology and culture; and the change process was bumpy. SaaS customers paid as they used services, rather than upfront as they did with the licensed software and installation business; that difference had an immediate negative impact on Basware's revenue stream. The company's new SaaS technology would be best in breed when it was complete, but it was taking longer than expected to be ready. Basware also needed to reorganize as a global organization, its sales people needed to be retrained or transitioned out, and its culture needed to adjust to match these rapid changes. At the same time, Basware's e-invoice operator business was booming. In 2013, there were an estimated 63 million transactions across the Basware Commerce Network, and the company expected to hit 150 million transactions by the end of 2015. Speed was the name of the game for Basware, as each transaction brought in money and because the network's size was Basware's competitive advantage. Although the software and e-invoicing businesses were two separate businesses, they were synergistic. The more customers moved from paper to e-invoicing, the more they would be able to use the full functionality of Basware's automated software solutions.

learning objective:

The first objective is for students to learn about an important shift in the software vendor industry: the move from selling licensed software for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to selling Software-as-a Service (SaaS). The case focuses on the opportunities and challenges the shift presents for Basware, a €114 Finland-based company. The second objective is for students to learn about electronic invoicing and the importance of first-mover advantage in that growing industry.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

An update to First Solar (A), this case highlights changes to the solar energy market between 2010 and 2013 and the resulting challenges that First Solar had to overcome. In addition to increased competition from highly subsidized Chinese manufacturers, First Solar lost its pricing advantage due to a steep decline in material costs for the competing solar cell technology, c-Sci. The 2008 global financial crisis spurred a dramatic decline in demand from subsidy markets, further intensifying competition. Within First Solar, the management team went through substantial turnover and was sharply divided over what the company's core strategy should be. Good financial discipline and several key business model decisions kept First Solar solvent. Through acquisitions, the company developed a competitive advantage in the systems business and pivoted away from subsidy markets, pursuing more sustainable markets elsewhere. Finally, First Solar hedged its bet on technology, adding c-Sci, the competing solar cell technology, to its portfolio through an acquisition. These shifts helped to restore optimism and position First Solar to resume a leadership role.

learning objective:

To provide an update on First Solar and the actions it took to remain solvent between 2010-2013.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

This note describes the mobile telecommunications industry in 2012, and how the various participants were positioned for the future. This was a period of rapid change, as some competitors were rapidly growing, while others were undergoing equally rapid descent. The note focuses on ecosystems that evolved around competing operating systems and microprocessors, and highlights developments in each industry layer-software, hardware, handsets, and network operations-as well as strategic issues related to intellectual property.

learning objective:

This industry note is intended to provide background information for discussions of strategy in a complex environment of competing and cooperating interests combined with rapid technological change.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

In 2012, after several failed attempts at establishing a cloud computing solution for its entire Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) suite, SAP announced two major acquisitions: SuccessFactors, a major SaaS provider for Human Resources software and Ariba, a major SaaS provider of supply chain software. The first acquisition was for $3.4 billion, with a 52 percent premium over SuccessFactors' market value. The second was for $4.3 billion, with a 20 percent premium. The industry press and bloggers saluted this as a strategic shift in SAP's approach to cloud computing. In May 2012, Lars Dalgaard, CEO of SuccessFactors, was appointed head of SAP's Cloud Business, in charge of the entire SAP SaaS strategy. This case explores the decisions, tactics and strategies pursued to turn SAP into a major cloud computing company.

learning objective:

The objective of the case is for students recognize three established key concepts and a fourth that is open for debate: (1) Strategic inflexion point, or event that results in a significant change in the progress of a company, industry, or sector situation. An inflection point can be considered a turning point after a dramatic change, yielding either positive or negative results. Companies, industries, sectors, and economies are dynamic and constantly evolving. Inflection points are more significant than the small day-to-day progress that is made and the effects of the change are often well-known and widespread. (2) Platformization, or a situation in which the technology provided by a company has grown into a complete ecosystem in which the costs of change are higher than the benefits, thus providing strong protection to the company whose platform an industry has embraced. Although a platform offers strong protection against new entrants or disruptive technologies, it can also make a change more difficult. The platform can act as a dam and if the dam collapses, the consequences can be catastrophic. (3) Rubber band, or a situation where entrepreneurial thinking can accelerate growth in large corporations. This entrepreneurial thinking can come either from the inside or from the outside. (4) Commoditization of IT due to the development of cloud computing and open standards. This concept is open for interpretation and debate.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

In the early 2010s, the shift towards electrified transportation remained an important trend as vehicle manufacturers were pursuing a variety of options to meet emission and fuel efficiency standards. This case provides a comprehensive update of the global electric vehicle industry, comprising vehicle manufacturers, battery suppliers, and charge providers. The situation of that industry in 2013 is assessed, which includes how the established manufacturers are reconsidering their strategies for vehicle powertrains, how newcomers are entering the market especially with electric vehicles and seem to become successful or fail. The case also summarizes governmental policies, incentives, and mandates in different regions, especially including the U.S., China, Japan, and Europe. In conclusion, more consolidation of the industry is expected, especially regarding the diversity of different electrification solutions and charge providers. While the operation range of electric vehicles is expected to remain a significant consumer concern, plug-in hybrid and range extended electric vehicles are seen as a viable solution to meet mobility and sustainability requirements. Therefore, the incumbent players seem to be relatively well positioned to provide respective products given their expertise regarding gasoline-powered vehicles and technology integration while the future of newcomers remains difficult to forecast.

learning objective:

The reader will learn about the situation of the automotive industry in light of the recent recession and the transition toward more sustainable vehicle with increasingly electrified powertrains. The provided information enables the reader to understand and / or devise strategies for the respective industry (including governments). After reading this case, one will have gained a comprehensive overview of current industry players and the driving forces that are shaping the landscape of manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers.

Publication Date:

Discipline:

Source:

Product number:

Length:

Also Available in:

description

The case discusses the post-IPO strategies, opportunities and challenges for Swiss global trading company DKSH, the leading market expansion (MES) provider with a focus on Asia. DKSH was well positioned to capitalize on three key MES industry trends: 1) Asia as the growth market per se, driven by the thriving middle classes of the emerging economies, 2) growing inner-Asian trade, and 3) the tendency of companies to outsource, stemming from the continuing focus on core competencies. DKSH wanted to use the tailwind of its very successful IPO and its strong growth potential to forcefully extend its number one market position while staying focused on implementing a sharply defined strategy for growth. From a strategic point of view, the company had to address multiple key issues: optimizing its business portfolio; further developing and centralizing corporate-level core competencies; choosing the right level of strategic integration of its four business units; strengthening its service innovation capability; ensuring the right resource allocation to sustain the company's growth engine; and sustaining its strategic entrepreneurial leadership culture.

*required field. You can change details at any time before activation.

The enrollment number will not limit students' access to materials. Accurate enrollment allows
us to manage site traffic and course activity.

If your course is affiliated with an institution not listed here or you need to create a course to last longer than 6 months,
please contact HBP Customer Service at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu or 800-545-7685.

Type the information in each box. Boxes marked with an asterisk (*) are required information.
You can change the coursepack information, including the Start and Stop Dates and the quantity,
at any time before you activate the coursepack.

If your coursepack is affiliated with an institution not listed here or you need to create a coursepack
which is longer than 6 months, please contact HBP Customer Service at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu
or 800-545-7685.